Week in Geek: Space rocks edition

The majority of meteors don’t make it to Earth’s surface in one piece, let alone in pieces of any size, so they are rare and valuable finds when they do. As you may have seen on the Science Channel, meteorite hunting is quite a thing. Some people collect them on the side, while others make a career (or obsession) out of it. And then there is musician, inventor and engineer Clair Omar Musser. Clair began collecting meteorites in his 30s, eventually amassing a collection that weighed over half a ton (meteorites are often rich in iron). But Clair didn’t let his hoard collect dust on the shelf, but instead forged almost half of it into a xylophone, an instrument he had been playing his whole life. He dubbed his creation a “celestaphone,” and it now sits on display in the Rhythm Discovery Center in Indianapolis. Not only are the keys made from meteoritic material, the entire support structure is as well. You could say everything but the bolts fell out of the sky.

Recently the Rhythm Discovery Center took the celestaphone out of its display and played it, to record its music for posterity. The folks at Everything Sounds have a lovely excerpt of it for you. Take a listen.